Director Walter Hill who also created other classic flicks, Bullet to the Head 2012, Supernova 2000, Last Man Standing 1996, Trespass 1992, Extreme Prejudice 1987, Southern Comfort 1981, The Long Riders 1980, The Driver 1978 and Hard Times 1975 as well as an episode of the classic TV series, Deadwood 2004-2006 has created another gem in Johnny Handsome.Starring Mickey Rourke who has also been in other classic flicks, Skin Traffik 2015, Dead in Tombstone 2013, The Expendables 2010, The Wrestler 2008, Sin City 2005, Spun 2002, Get Carter 2000, Thursday 1998, Point Blank 1998, Buffalo '66 1998, The Last Outlaw 1993, Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man 1991, Year of the Dragon 1985 and Rumble Fish 1983.Also starring Lance Henriksen who has also been in other classic flicks, Stung 2015, Bone Dry 2007, Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes 2006, Abominable 2006, AVP: Alien vs. Predator 2004, One Point O 2004, Dead Man 1995, The Quick and the Dead 1995, Stone Cold 1991, Pumpkinhead 1988, Near Dark 1987, Aliens 1986, The Terminator 1984, The Right Stuff 1983 and Close Encounters of the Third Kind 1977.I enjoyed the violence.If you enjoyed this as much as I did then check out another classic revenge flick, Blue Ruin 2013, Bad Day for the Cut 2017 and The Foreigner 2017.

So hideously deformed in his face that even his speech is affected, Johnny Sedley (Mickey Rourke) – called Johnny Handsome for obvious reasons – nevertheless knows how to plan robberies. But the robbery of the Prestige Jewelry store is very violent and goes haywire when two of the robbers betray and shoot the other three. One of the three is Johnny, who, although left for dead, survives. In jail Johnny is attacked and knife-wounded by two inmates and sent to prison hospital. The attacking inmates were bribed to kill Johnny by scoundrel robbers Rafe Garrett (Lance Henriksen) and Sunny Boyd (Ellen Barkin). Lt. Drones (Morgan Freeman) visits Johnny to tell him that he is "nothing but a cheap crook." He gets five years prison time in Louisiana Penitentiary at Angola. Thoughtful prison doctor Fisher (Forest Whitaker) offers Johnny a new face. He feels that recidivism sometimes relates to physical deformities and so believes that Johnny will get a second chance. Plus he doesn't want to blame Johnny for the actions of his mother, who was both a drug user and prostitute. Not only do the operations work well, but Johnny now has a new identification, Johnny Mitchell. Meanwhile, speech therapy has taken a long time. The newspapers report that Johnny has died while incarcerated. On parole, Johnny has a construction job at Commodore Shipyard waiting for him courtesy of Dr. Fisher. Johnny works hard and eventually strikes up a courtship with office secretary Donna McCarthy (Elizabeth McGovern). Donna had dated slimy Earl, who stole items from the tool shop. Donna, herself stained, had covered for him by removing the items from her inventory list. Johnny strong-armed Earl, who then disappeared from the scene. At this point Johnny has a choice: He can go straight with Donna or return to his life of crime and take his revenge on Rafe and Sunny. The latter thought prevails as Johnny's close friend was double-crossed and killed by Rafe and Sunny in the jewelry holdup, and Johnny, who had a downtrodden life, believes in payback. Lt. Drones stops by to remind Johnny that – despite his new face and new name – he will regress into his life of crime. Right after Johnny enters the sleazy bar where Rafe and Sunny operate. It is obvious that the situation between the two lowlifes is less than charming. Anyway, Johnny eventually convinces them of a potential $5 million heist at Commodore Shipyard. When Rafe and Sunny inquire the particulars of Johnny – like why he chose them, the jobs he pulled, the folks he knows – Johnny says that he met a fellow by the name of Johnny Handsome who died in jail. Rafe and Sunny seem convinced, but Sunny seems to take an additional liking to Johnny. She says that $5 million divided by two is better than divided by three. Of course, she has no scruples. Anyway, the film's second robbery goes as planned. Of course there is the eventual double dealing. Before the end Johnny will get his revenge, but will have sustained a beating beforehand. And although he kills his enemies, he is mortally wounded. In the end Lt. Drones mutters, "Well Johnny, that darn doctor didn't understand this part, did he?" The New Orleans atmosphere of this "modern" noir works decently in its darkness and grittiness although the dialog is rather so-so. Folks will cringe at the beating at the end. Rourke is good enough in the lead as a tragic character, especially his replication of a speech impediment in early scenes. Still, despite other good performances by Freeman as a cynical detective and Whitaker as a sympathetic doctor, the movie offers nothing unusual. The menacing character of bare-armed villain Henriksen is strictly one- dimensional. Barkin is sufficiently sleazy, but her southern accent is not too convincing. McGovern is a less than intelligent lass who consistently makes imprudent choices. On a final note, the key hair stylist could at least have changed Johnny's hairstyle after his facial reconstruction! It would have made him more convincing.

It is rare that a movie with a premise as far-fetched as Johnny Handsome could wind up being so memorable. It helps when a top notch action director is assisted by an outstanding ensemble cast firing on all cylinders to make this story believable.Johnny Handsome hit theaters in the fall of '89. It bombed, largely due to a weak promotional campaign by Tri-Star pictures. 19 years later, it is still unavailable on DVD. The excellent cast includes Ellen Barkin, Scott Wilson, and future Oscar winners Morgan Freeman and Forrest Whittaker. However, it is Mickey Rourke in the title role and Lance Henriksen as his arch-nemesis who truly hit grand slams with their performances. The heartbreaking original score by Ry Cooder and the rich atmosphere of the New Orleans setting also elevate this material considerably. This is not your typical revenge action picture.The movie can best be described as a gritty, noir-ish crime drama with a sci-fi twist that maintains plausibility instead of running off the rails into comedic territory as with 1997's Face/Off. The film moves at a brisk pace, which is fine, but this fact ultimately winds up being the only flaw with Johnny Handsome. One almost gets the impression more was filmed but the studio demanded a 90 minute cut. A Special Edition director's cut DVD is warranted. A longer run time allowing for more scenes to flesh out the characters portrayed by the great supporting cast would have made this already outstanding film a true classic.It would really be nice to see Walter Hill direct another action film one of these days. Hill and Peckinpah were the real deals. Other filmmakers (such as John Woo) strive to match the perfection of these two, but have yet to achieve it.

I wanted to just say that Mickey Rourke is one of my favorite actors...period.....but when i saw this flick i always wondered when he had surgery and had a normal face he learned to speak normally....well i found it weird that when Lance Henrikson(another of my favorite actors)slashed Mickeys face.....Mickey started talking like he was abnormal again....I always wondered if Mickey thought that was a good idea or that the director thought that was a good idea.....just seemed like bad acting to me....anyone else find that weird. ?.......all in all sometimes Mickey and Lance have made good role choices, but i think that someone should have told them that some of the dialog or scripts should be changed to make them look like great actors that they are.....Deniro and Pacino hardly ever make this mistake even though they do at times, but thats what makes them a little bit above the latter....i also wanted to point out that Mickey and Lance have made better choices lately and since i do love their acting and such that they keep it up.....thanks, Eddie